Breathe Again
by DianaPrinceWW
Summary: The whole world has lost a great hero; the Justice League has lost a friend and companion but Wonder Woman has lost a friend and a husband. So when time comes when she needs to be more than just WW, will she find the ways to move on in a world where she has lost her Superman? A "what if?" scenario to"In the safety of their hearts".Disclaimer:Charac. etc not mine just the story idea
1. Chapter 1

**This is a spin-off or a "what if Superman had died?" during the events of "In the safety of their hearts". So please if you haven't checked that story out, it's recommendable that you do before you read this one. Thank you!**

* * *

"_KAL!" _

_He didn't say anything… instead he closed his eyes as he continuously took in every punch meant for his wife. The only time he opened his eyes was to see his wife's worried and tearing face… and to look at her stomach wrapped in a red scarf… where his baby laid._

_Diana felt the tears on her face. She couldn't bear it any longer… She tried to stand up until-_

"_Flash, Shazam, Green Lantern!" a voice shouted from behind the clone, "you all know what to do!"_

_Diana saw that it was Batman, Flash, Shazam, Green Lantern and the rest of the Justice League. They have come to fight the clone and defeat him. Diana couldn't have been gladder to see that they have come. Soon after the clone was occupied with the other members of the Justice League, Superman dropped on his knees and on Wonder Woman's arms... He was unconscious…_

"_Kal?" Diana called out to him._

_He didn't answer. He lay beside her as she leaned closer to his face._

"_Kal? Please open your eyes." she gently shook him._

_There was still no answer. Diana was worried. She put her ear on his chest and heard only a faint sound of his heartbeat… she was scared._

"_KAL!" she shouted as if she was demanding for him to open his eyes._

_Soon after, he slowly opened his eyes- half closed, half opened. He then gave out a half-smile, "Hey" he croaked in a low voice._

"_Hey." she smiled; her heart was at a relief._

"_Is it over?" he asked, "Have I protected everybody?" _

_Diana turned. She saw that her team members were at an advantage against their opponent as they used Kryptonite against him. Normally she would be against the use of Kryptonite since it could harm her husband but since their opponent was strong and dangerous then it was okay._

"_It is… it's over," she caressed his cheeks, "you've bravely protected everybody."_

"_That's good," he kept his smile, "how about you? Have I protected you and the baby? Are you both safe?"_

"_Yes… We are both safe thanks to you."_

"_That's… good…."_

_His eyes were closing again, "Kal stay with me please."_

"_Diana…" he put up his hands to touch her face, "everything seems blurry… it's getting hard to see your face."_

_Diana took his hand on her cheek and tightly held onto it. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, "Stay with me Kal."_

"_You are going to be a terrific mother Diana… I just know it… our child…" he was finding it hard to catch his breath and speak, "will grow… to be… strong…"_

"_Kal please stop! Everything will be over soon!" she was finally begging, "Our child will grow up with a family- you and me; a mother and a father"_

"_Thank you for everything Diana… you were my family…"_

"_Kal," her voice was breaking, "you promised me you were going to stay with me forever right?"_

_Everything was blurry to her; her eyes were filled with tears; but she could still see her husband's face clearly. He gave her a gentle smile, "I love you Diana."_

"_Don't! Don't say your goodbyes yet! Not now!" Diana shouted._

_Suddenly his hand dropped on the ground beside him…. Diana's eyes widened as she gasped…. Her heart dropped… It was as if everything around her stopped… that time had stopped… and nothing, nothing could bring it back up for her again…_

_She held him tightly in her arms and buried her face on his chest. No.. No… NO…_

"_NOOOOO!"_

* * *

**2 weeks later**

Diana Kent opened her eyes to the cold and clear ceiling of the icy fortress above her. The yellow sun's rays came upon her so brightly she was slightly blinded. She groaned as she covered herself in her blanket once more to try and go back to the sleep she was deprived from the whole night. Suddenly, her stomach growled; she was hungry. It was understandable since she hadn't eaten properly for two days. She allowed herself to go on a hunger strike without any cause. She sighed as she jumped from her bowl structured bed.

She walked slowly towards the kitchen of the fortress. The kitchen looked like a normal kitchen you would see in houses around the world except for the fact that the counters were all made from glass. She pressed a button on the coffee machine and looked around the kitchen.

Clark Kent, her husband, had renovated his whole Fortress of Solitude to make sure that, inside, it was just like any other houses most people lived in. He wanted to make sure that the Fortress was a second home to her. Diana faced the high ceiling of the fortress as she pondered a thought; that his thoughtfulness was one of the things she loved about her husband.

The thought of her husband made her heart dropped. Even though outside, she didn't feel fazed with the thought, it was only because she has already shed too much tears that she couldn't shed anymore. But inside, she was suffocating.

It has been 2 weeks since the incident in Metropolis occurred. All seemed well after it; except for the one unbearable fact that haunted her and will haunt her for the rest of her life: the death of her husband.

Since then a lot has happened: Lex Luthor was sentenced to a life imprisonment, his laboratory was destroyed and so were all the clones, Doomsday was sent to the Phantom Zone and the Justice League have all recovered from their physical injuries. Diana too, has recovered from all of her physical injuries but since the incident, she has locked herself in her husband's fortress; unwilling to talk to anybody but the computers in the fortress.

_Hiisssss_

Diana jumped at the whistling sound of the coffee machine. She immediately turned it off and took her cup of coffee. Slowly, she blew onto it and took a sip. As she continued her drink, she thought of her plans for the rest of the day… nothing. There was nothing for her to do and nothing she felt like doing. She merely wanted to stay in the fortress- where his husband used to work, spend some time with her and stayed.

She walked over to the living room and sat on the couch. She reached over the table beside her to get the remote control for the TV but stopped when she saw a specific artefact that lay on the table beside the remote. It was a glass jar with its mouth tightly sealed with a wooden stopper. Inside the jar, was a blooming white iris flower. The flower's petals still had its radiance shine and bright colour. She took the glass jar and stared at it as she remembered a memory that concealed itself in the artefact:

_Diana slowly placed the jar of iris flower on the table beside the couch in her husband's Fortress of Solitude; and she did so with a huge smile on her face._

"_Are you really okay with just putting it there?" Clark, her husband, asked from behind her._

"_Why not?" she angled the jar so that it would stand out in the living room, "You said so yourself, you want this fortress to be my second home."_

"_I just thought you would be more comfortable putting it in our house in Smallville." He brushed the back if his neck as he did._

"_Well this gift is one of a kind," she turned to him, "just like my husband and his fortress."_

_Clark put his hand around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Is that so? Well then I guess this scarf from a certain someone just fits me perfectly."_

_Diana raised her eyebrow, "Speaking of which, for someone who isn't affected by the cold at all and has a fortress in the middle of a frozen land, you sure do wear that scarf a lot."_

"_Well it fits me." Clark laughed._

"_I'm just glad you like it." She put her arms around his neck, "I thought it wouldn't be enough."_

"_You know if you feel like this gift isn't enough, I have another idea for a gift."_

"_What is it?"_

_Clark gave her a cheeky smile and raised his eyebrows. Diana furrowed her eyebrows and pondered over the thought for a while until finally, she got it. She widened her eyes, "Kal no… not now."_

"_Why not?"_

"_It's cold."_

"_You've never been bothered by the cold before."_

"_I'm tired."_

"_You seemed full of energy just a couple of seconds ago."_

"_Kal..." she shot him a look._

_Clark ignored her and grinned. Suddenly, he started tickling her on her ribs. Diana tried to block herself from his attacks._

"_Kal!" she couldn't help but laugh._

_Clark laughed. Diana continued blocking herself until she couldn't take anymore and decided to run; she was still laughing as she did. _

"_Trying to have a race with me is like trying to have a race with… well Superman… or Flash!" Clark shouted._

"_Yes but I'm not like other humans, aren't I?" Diana shouted back._

"_True…"_

_Clark ran after her around the Fortress of Solitude until finally their small game of cat and mouse eventually led them in… London._

Diana tightly hugged the jar in her arms. Slowly, tears began streaming down her face until she couldn't help herself anymore and the whole room was filled with nothing but the sound of sobs and cries.

* * *

_Riingg…_

Diana slowly woke up to the sound of ringing. She sat up from the couch and saw that she was still hanging onto the jar. She placed it on the table beside her and walked over the monitor screen on the wall beside the living room door. She pressed a button and the monitor immediately lit up to show footage from outside the Fortress. In the footage, she saw a man dressed in a black tight suit with a mask consisting of pointy ears, on his head; standing outside of the Fortress door. On his chest was a shadowed shape of a bat.

Diana took a deep breath and turned to press a button that would turn off the monitor when suddenly-

"Diana I know you're in there," he said, "so don't pretend that you're not and just open the door."

She held a button and spoke on the monitor, "What do you want Bruce?"

"To talk to you."

"You've never been a man to talk."

"If talking with you means I can get you out of that place then so be it."

"You need to leave, Bruce!" Diana turned and threatened to turn the monitor off.

"Diana it's about you and Clark's farm in Smallville."

Diana stopped and sighed. She reluctantly pressed the button which allowed Bruce to enter the Fortress.

She sat on the couch once more and took her cup of coffee. The coffee has grown cold so she decided to settle it back on the table in front of her again. Just as she did, Bruce appeared in the living room.

"So is this how you spend most of your time now?" Bruce asked as he remained standing on the living room door.

"What about the farm in Smallville?" Diana ignored him.

"You weren't in the funeral."

"That's because I didn't want to go," Diana replied, "now what about the farm in Smallville?"

"But you were still there weren't you?" Bruce continued, "Just not near your husband's body."

"….."

"You watched from far away but what does that do?"

"It saves me from hearing the cries of people from all over the world," Diana explained without looking at Bruce, "a cry meant for my husband who they don't completely know or understand."

"Diana, you can't live your life like this anymore."

"Who are you to tell how to live my life, Bruce?" Diana furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"I'm your friend. I'm Clark's friend; your _husband's _friend."

Diana stood up and took the cup and headed towards the kitchen. She walked past Bruce as if he wasn't there.

"Diana we are all mourning for his death," Bruce continued, "you don't have to mourn by yourself."

"…."

"We all feel the same way."

"No we don't!" Diana snapped. She accidentally broke the cup on her hand by holding onto it tightly ;then turned to Bruce, "you don't know what it feels like! None of you do! He wasn't just my husband, Bruce! He was my friend! The father of my unborn child!"

"Which is why you need to snap out of it!" Bruce took off his mask, "your child might've lost his father but he hasn't lost his mother! Your baby needs you! The whole world needs you!"

"No they don't," Diana washed the blood on her hand, "they have the rest of the Justice League. As you just said, only my child needs me."

"I admit, the Justice League doesn't feel complete without Clark," Bruce explained, "and if Wonder Woman isn't there as well, the Justice League might never be the same anymore."

Diana took a deep breath and ignored him, "Is that why you're really here Bruce? To get me back in the League?"

"Partly yes."

"Then you're time here is futile."

"…."

"What's wrong with the farm in Smallville?"

"That day," Bruce sighed, "when Clark sacrificed himself for you and the world; he did it willingly in hopes that the world will go on; that _you and your child _will go on. All of us are still grieving for his sacrifice. The whole world still finds it hard to move on without their hero too, Diana."

"But they don't know my husband like I do!" Diana washed her hands with force which made blood appear even more, "they don't even know that he's married and that he's about to become a father to a child who will now grow up without one!"

Diana didn't turn her head to Bruce. Instead, she heard something dropped on the kitchen table.

"Inside these papers are information about property management for the farm in Smallville," Bruce explained, "since Clark was revealed as one of the unfortunate victims during the attack, real estate managers have been trying to buy the farm. And since you're Clark's wife and the only one legally allowed making decisions about the farm, you're the only one who can decide what will happen to it."

"Thank you." Diana said.

She still didn't turn to look at Bruce. Instead, she listened as he told her, "I know you blame yourself for his death… but no one but Clark could've kept himself alive. There was nothing any of us could've done. And this is not the right way to repay him for saving you, Diana."

"….."

Soon after Bruce has left the Fortress, Diana stared at the papers on the kitchen table. She looked over the papers and pretended as if she was reading over it; when in actual fact, she became scared of the thought of arriving to Smallville.

Tears slowly fell on the papers and drenched it as she went over the thought. She was scared because it was the place Clark and Diana both decided as their future home with their children; but with Clark gone, she felt as if that future completely… disappeared.

The moment her husband died was the moment her future with him and her dream… fell.

* * *

**I'm not sure how this will turn out completely but I don't think it will be a massive storyline because I will start the next arc to the "Lucky" storline soon and I still have "Two Worlds".**

**Thanks for checking out this spin-off and please leave a review of what you think (negative criticisms are welcome but please refrain from making snide, sarcatic or hurtful comments)**

**Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

The orange glow of the setting sun on the horizon highlighted the gloom and lonely atmosphere inside the Kent house. Diana took a deep breath before she slowly turned the doorknob of the front door. It was the time she had been dreading; but she still forced herself to enter the house.

She took a step inside the house. There was no sound at all. The stairs to the bedrooms stood in front of her while the entrance to the living room was to her left. Beside the stairs and past the hallway was the entrance to the kitchen and dining table. She headed to the entrance on her left towards the living room.

What once was a lively place turned lifeless when Diana noticed the emptiness in the room. There were dusts piled up on the furniture; even the leather couch that faced the television. Next to her was another drawer where, as well as dusts, the top of the drawer was decorated with pictures: mainly of the Kents; and then her and Clark. It was as if she was going back in time as she stared at the pictures. She saw the life and happiness the pictures caught: her husband's childhood with his parents. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of her husband as a child- with a massive grin on his face as he sported a red cape on his shoulders- unaware then that it would be part of his future. Besides from his photos from childhood, there were also photos of her and Clark before and after they were married: including during their wedding. She took one certain picture from the shelf: Clark was grinning at the picture, her arms around his neck from behind him, smiling at the camera. Behind them, was an overview look of the farm…

* * *

_"__Diana?!"_

_Diana turned around to the sound from behind her. She sat on the water tank located just outside the Smallville town centre and by the Kent's farm. She wanted a quiet time for herself and sitting on the water tank seemed like the most peaceful idea she thought of. She hadn't realised how long she had been on it but it seemed she had been there for a while since Clark was already looking for her._

_She saw that Clark was by the cornfield, his head turning from different sides and shouting her name. Diana gave out a small call to him, "Clark! I'm over here!"_

_Clark's head shot up and finally, he saw her. She had intended to jump from the water tank but Clark instead, flew to her. She looked around; there was nobody there to see him fly. Slowly, he sat next to her._

_"__What are you doing here?" he asked._

_"__Thinking."_

_"__About?"_

_"__About us."_

_Clark stared at her with curiosity in his eyes then asked, "Are you okay?"_

_Diana nodded, "I was just wondering… this 'dating' stuff is all so new to me, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Especially since, it's with you…"_

_Clark grinned. He shook his head and replied, "You don't have to do anything."_

_"__What?"_

_"__Contrary to what people say, a relationship doesn't have to be complicated. Not unless you make it to be."_

_"__But the fact alone that we are from different worlds; and that we're not like other people is enough to say-"_

_"__But we don't have to think about that," he smiled, "being with each other is enough."_

_ "__I don't understand…"_

_"__People's heads are filled with their own ideas of how romance should be; how strong love for one another can overcome the biggest obstacles. And partly, it's because that's how society made it to be- with books, movies and plays." He laughed, "relationships doesn't have to end in tragedy for it to be the greatest love story in the world; not like Romeo and Juliet."_

_"__Romeo… and Juliet?"_

_"__The point is Diana," he stroked her cheek, "sometimes the simplest relationships between lovers can be the best love story you've ever heard," he took her hand, "and right now, ours is the greatest love story I've ever seen."_

_Diana smiled. She closed her eyes and kissed Clark on the cheek. He blushed._

_"__What was that for?" Clark asked._

_"__You make it seem so easy Clark," she stroke his cheek, "and that's one of the things I like about you."_

_Clark smiled. He reached for his pockets and grabbed his phone. Diana raised her eyebrows as she stared at him._

_"__Here." Clark pressed a couple of buttons on his phone screen._

_"__What are you doing?"_

_Clark lifts the phone above them and positioned it so that the screen faced them. The phone screen was recording them as they moved._

_"__We're taking a picture together," Clark said, "as a reminder of how simple our relationship is."_

_"__How is it a reminder?"_

_"__Every couple I know and have seen always do these things, so I thought why not us?"_

_And so, Diana wrapped her arms around Clark's neck as she smiled at the camera. Clark pressed a button on his phone and took a shot of their special moment._

* * *

Diana placed the photo frame back on the shelf and left towards her husband's room upstairs. Once inside Clark's old bedroom, she was overwhelmed with the feeling of loneliness and longing for him again.

Everything in the room made her think of Clark: his bed, his clothes in the wardrobe and his old telescope. And so she sat on Clark's old bed, grabbed a pillow and buried her face on it. It smelled so much like him: that old country farm smell mixed with the smell of cheap aftershave he always used. She smelt his scent for a little bit longer until… she cried silently as her face was buried on the pillow.

* * *

"I am really sorry for your loss Mrs Kent. I imagine this must be really hard on you."

The brown haired man whose hazel eyes hid behind his horn rimmed glasses spoke in front of Diana as she sipped a cup of her coffee. The realtor, named Adam Kyle, had arrived that morning to speak to Diana about her plans for the farm. His sudden arrival surprised Diana; and so she was forced to invite him inside the house for a cup of coffee in the dining room. Since Clark owned the deeds to the house, handed to him by his parents, he had every right to decide what to do with the farm; but after his death due to the attack on Metropolis, Diana, being Clark's wife, then became responsible for the ownership of the farm.

Diana didn't face the realtor as he spoke, she continued with drinking her coffee instead.

The realtor, however, continued, "But as the remaining and legal owner of the farm, you have to decide what to do with the farm. There are lots of estate agencies eager to buy and sell this farm-"

"I will decide what happens with the farm when I decide I feel like it."

"Uu-um…" Kyle fixed his glasses as he nervously argued, "I'm sorry Mrs Kent but as I said-"

"I'm now the legal owner of the farm right?" Diana glanced at him.

"Y-yes…"

"I have no obligation to terminate my claim on the farm right?"

"We-well no but-"

"Then _I _decided what to do with the farm." Diana shot him a piercing look, "And I decide _whenever _I like it!"

"But Mrs Kent, I don't understand. I thought you called me here to discuss your plans of selling this farm."

"I called you here to tell you that whatever happens to the farm is dependent on my decision alone. I heard that you've already been showcasing the farm to real estate agencies."

"You have to understand Mrs Kent that this farm is dying without anyone to properly care for it. You will surely lose a lot of money."

"Money is of no concern to me. What I want is time- time to decide." Diana argued, "But if you keep on showcasing the farm, it's as if I've already decided to sell it. Right now, I am keeping the farm. End of discussion."

"Mrs Kent please-"

"Please leave… Now!"

* * *

Her conversation with the realtor certainly didn't ease her longing for her husband. The idea of selling the house her husband and his family before him worked so hard for over the years, was insulting to their memory. And since she carried the "Kent" name, she found it her duty to take care of the farm- letting go of a memory of her husband, even just one, was painful for her.

Diana was brewing another batch of coffee from the old coffee machine when there was a knock on the kitchen door. She opened the door and saw her red-headed friend; as well as Clark's best friend- Lana Lang.

"Hello Diana." Lana smiled.

"Lana," Diana forced a smile, "it's a surprise to see you here. I heard you were going back to Metropolis?"

"How can I? Especially when I heard about…."

Lana was careful with her words; she didn't want to upset the wife Clark had left behind.

"It's okay Lana," Diana said, "I'm happy that you're here."

"Actually…. That's not the only reason why I couldn't go to Metropolis."

"Why is that?"

Lana stared into Diana's eyes, "Because whenever someone in the streets of Metropolis, or in the world, talks about him, just makes me remember how it's too painful to lose a friend like him."

"Clark? I didn't realise a lot of people know-"

And then Diana got it; what Lana was implying when she said those words.

"You know?" Diana asked, "How?"

Lana smiled, "I grew up with Clark; and every time there was an unusual save here in Smallville, I've had my suspicions of him. To be honest, I was waiting for him to tell me himself… but I guess it's too late now…"

"What made you confirm your suspicions?"

"When Superman and Clark die at the same time, "Lana replied, "It's not hard to put two and two together. I don't believe Clark Kent died because of debris falling on him. He's too careful to let himself be in that situation, not unless he was saving someone. He always was a bad liar anyway."

"Clark would've gladly jumped in front of falling debris if it meant saving someone." Diana said.

Diana smiled at the thought then nodded to Lana, "Do you want to come in?"

* * *

Diana handed Lana a cup of coffee by the dining table; after which, she sat on the chair next to Lana. Lana, on the other hand, gladly took the cup and wrapped her hands around it. There was silence between the two for a while; both of them, unable to start the conversation.

"I know it's pointless of me to ask 'How are you?' when clearly, you're not," Lana began, "not a lot of people are. And don't worry; I won't act as if you need all the care in the world."

Diana forced a laughed, "I think I can handle myself."

"But I will act as your friend," Lana continued, "because I am. Clark was my best friend; his family is my family- you and Clark's child."

Diana sighed, "I'm grateful for your sentiment but I'd rather be myself for this-"

"No one wants to be by themselves, especially at times like this," Lana placed her hand over Diana's, "I assume you've already shut out the rest of the Justice League, you can't shut me out too."

Diana's head shot up. She was bewildered by what Lana had just said, because all throughout the time she and Lana had spent, she had never once mentioned or shown her other identity to Lana.

Lana smiled weakly, "You're Wonder Woman right?"

Diana was inclined to ask Lana how she knew; but Diana knew it was pointless since she already knew the truth, no matter how, she already knew.

"How?"

"As I said," Lana replied, "Clark always was a bad liar. I mean marrying someone he just met from a job report in Greece? That's unlike the shy Clark I know… I've had my thoughts from the moment he told me the story."

Diana simply nodded and took a sip of coffee from her cup.

"How many of those have you drunk?" Lana asked.

"I'm not sure," Diana shook her head, I can only imagine a lot."

"That's probably why you haven't had proper sleep these days," Lana carefully pulled Diana's cup away from her, "you look like you've just been run over by a truck; even though that's impossible. You need to rest- some proper sleep. I'll have to ask you to lay off of coffee for now."

"And just because you're Wonder Woman doesn't mean you can just overpower me in this," Lana eyed her, "you're still my friend and my best friend's wife; which means I have to look after you, especially since you're carrying his child."

Lana took Diana's cup and placed it beside the sink.

"Lana," Diana called out, "you told me once how you lost your father in an accident… How did you deal with the loss?"

Lana sighed and walked back to her chair, "I didn't. Even now I'm still grieving. But I realised… I need to move on to the future he wanted me to have. I love my father too much to disappoint him even beyond death. I'm still trying to live the happy future he wanted me to have."

"And you should too Diana," Lana placed her hand on Diana's shoulder, "you need to move on for the sake of you and your child. Clark needs you to move on because your child needs you; and because the world needs Wonder Woman."

"Clark was the only man I've ever loved."

"I know."

"I miss him so much."

"I know."

"And I've never felt this way about anyone before; I loved him so much," Diana said, "and I just know I'll never love this way again. Which is why I'm afraid to move on, I want to hold on… to him."

Tears flowed down Diana's cheek as she spoke; and Lana saw it.

"Diana…"

Lana hugged her friend tightly who cried on her shoulder, "I miss him too… so much."

* * *

**Hey guys! **

**Hoped you liked the chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**:D**


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